Nazia Week 5

What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime?


The ‘shojo’ according to Cavallaro (2006) is a term that literally means “little female” and “is used to designate girls aged 12 or 13” (p. 11). This type of character is common among anime and appeals largely to Japanese males because they offer a dramatic shift and excitement which is not available to them in their demanding work life.

Its function in anime is one that depicts the transitional age between childhood and adulthood, youth and maturity, sexlessness and eroticism, powerlessness and power, inexperience and understanding, masculinity and femininity. The ‘shojo’ stories are usually light-hearted and “bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder” (p.11). This is a stark contrast to the protagonists of Miyazaki who fit the shojo bill in terms of their physical appearance but are more self-sufficient, brave, curious and proactive (for example San in Mononoke).

Refernces:
Cavallaro, D. (2006). Introduction. In The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp.5-13). London: McFarland & Company.

Week 5: Anime I

Is it a high or low cultural genre, according to Napier (2005)? What are some of its subgenres?


Anime is a very unique Asian influenced culture that has developed into something that most young people today will most definitely recognise and be familiar with. For me, I grew up with Anime watching the immensely popular Pokemon series after school. For others it could be Digimon, Princess Mononoke, or Sailor Moon? Whatever it was, everyone has had some dose of Anime and can relate.

To answer the question “Is it a high or low cultural genre”, one must look at where it exists in society and where it came from. Anime originated in Japan. This must be why Napier (2005), states, “The "culture" to which anime belongs is at present a "popular" or "mass" culture in Japan, and in America it exists as a "sub" culture.” This is because America would have taken on Anime after seeing its popularity and seeing how unique it was in Japan. “Otomo Katsuhiro's Akira is a complex and challenging work of art that provoked, bewildered, and occasionally inspired Western audiences when it first appeared outside Japan in 1990.”

Because Anime is a very high cultural genre, it of course has many subgenres that are associated with it. Like I said, I grew up with a very obvious one called Pokemon. But the popularity has grown past the television and past Japan. Napier states, “Anime clubs continue to attract growing numbers of members. Anime is shown on the Sci-fi Channel, is available at such mainstream video venues as Blockbuster Video, and has a whole section devoted to it at Virgin Megastore in London. Anime's influence also extends beyond Japanese exports of actual video tapes to include everything from the Pokemon toy give-away in 1990 at Kentucky Fried Chicken.”

Other genres include Dragon Ball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and of course Princess Mononoke. Anime is and probably will remain in my opinion a very visibly popular genre in Asian and Western countries for years to come.


Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle pp.3-14).
Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan

WEEK FOUR - Ethan

What other influences does Burn (2005) suggest for Harry Potter? How does the fantasy genre relate to modern media such as video games?

The genre of fantasy novels has a major influence in modern media of video games.  Many fantasy novels in today’s age have also been turned into video games to allow the audience, which are mostly children to be engaged and be involved in the stories. An example of this is the ‘Harry Potter’ games. These Harry Potter games are based on the novels and allow the audience/player to play the role of their favorite characters as they complete the story line. Burn (2005) says, it also involves the means of puzzle solving and game survival which characterize the books.  Another example of the genre of fantasy affecting video games is ‘The Lord of the Rings’ game which as Burn (2005) said, gave rise to one of the most popular of modern game-genres, the RPG (role-playing game). The genre of fantasy novels are normally the starting point for games like this as the video games follow the story line of the novel, only changing minor things to make the game either last longer or more challenging and interesting.

References:

Burn, A (2005) ‘Potter-Literacy – from book to game and back again; literature, film, game and cross-media literacy’, in Papers: Explorations into Children’s literature Vol 14, No 3

KT's Week 6

With reference to Cavallaro(2006), what distinguishes Mononoke technically as being – it is generally agreed – a great work of anime?

Mononoke is a great work of anime in many ways, but people think it is distinguished especailly in the technical section. First of all, the production costs incurred by Princess Mononoke ultimately amounted to a record-breaking figure in the history the acquisition of software and hardware for the creation of computer graphics having caused the expenses to soar to a total of $19.6 million. It was a lot of money for the production of Animation. Also, the exceptionally high number of cels produced for Mononoke (144,000 out of which approximately 80,000 were key animation cels) to improve its overall style of motion which is substantially more fluid and realistic. Computer-generated imagery contributed significantly to this cumulative effect by communicating a sense of solidity and presence comparable to that achieved in live-action cinema.

Since Studio Ghibli’s CGI department was established in 1995, what is most remarkable about the use of CGI in Mononoke is that it never exhibits the dubious quality of an add-on but is fully synthesized into the overall action and is therefore able to contribute vitally to the evocation of a meticulously nuanced atmosphere wherein elements from diverse historical eras coalesce, and traditional motifs mesh with wholly fictional interpretations of the forces of both nature and technology. Mononoke contains about 15 minutes of CGI. Of these, 10 minutes are filled by the scenes that used digital ink and paint only. The remaining five minutes employed various digital techniques, such as 3D rendering, morphing, particles, digital composition and texture mapping. The fact that the CGI and digital techniques were used proves that Mononoke was a great work of anime and it was technically outstanding. As Camera manager stated, the job of the cameraman for animated films may disappear, or it may have already disappeared.

Unfortunately I couldn't watch the movie of 'Princess Mononoke' last week in class, but as Darryl recommanded, I would rent the video and watch it at home.

Reference

Cavallaro, D. (2006). The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. London: McFarland & Company

Week One Sara

How does Farr (1991) justify Tintin's appeal to adults?

Michael Farr is evidently an avid Tintin fan. A general theme of his article is the many times he proclaims the "universal appeal" of Herge's work, which enabled it to "transcend fashion, age and nationality"(Farr, 1991). Herge himself said Tintin was intended as reading for "all young people aged from seven to seventy-seven".

This is backed up by the facts of Tintin's popularity; worldwide sales of the Tintin books totaling over 120 million, and translations into more than fifty languages (Farr, 1991). Farr theorises that Tintin appeals to all ages because of the layers incorporated into the books, which, as the best kind of art, can reveal different things to different viewers. Of course, we must not forget that the author, an adult himself, by all accounts had the knowledge and meticulousness of an adult, but the creativity of a child- and would appease both in his stories.

Farr (1991) also outlines the meticulous research that was put into the Tintin books by Herge, which is believed to have brought a real-world quality that contributes to it attracting older readers as well. For me, something like Tintin will not easily die as part of modern consciousness, simply because it promotes an earnest, young and adventurous-at-heart spirit that reaches beyond modern-world cynicism. Full-grown 'kids' can disappear into a meticulously drawn world with no romantic quibbles, and enjoy the good guy always winning with his trademark quiff still in place. The spirit of adventure, and naievity, in Herge's stories remind me of Enid Blyton's Famous Five series, which I still treasure enormously at my age, so I can relate to an adult appreciation of the Tintin books.

References
Farr, M. (1991). Tintin: the complete companion. London: John Murray.

Love Kim-Week 5

According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (i.e comparing China and Japan)?

Lent (2000) addresses that animation has influenced on several aspects in many Asian countries such as culture, economy, politics, and other mass media.

First of all, Chinese animators at first were willfully not trying to adapt foreign animations’ elements unless it is suitable for their own culture. Wan, a Chinese animator, who produced his country’s first animation, addressed that the story of animation should fully be based on Chinese indigenous traditions and stories. He also emphasized that the sensibility of n Chinese and educational purposes are essential elements of the animation. Another animator, Jin Xi, agreed with the view point of Wan in terms of the aims of animation such as education and originality of Chinese culture. Unlike Chinese animators, Tezuka, a Japanese, embraced foreign-originated cartoons, for example, the works of Walt Disney International (WDI) such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Bambi.

Animation itself was also influenced by Asian culture, for example, indigenous artistry and skills in China, shadow theatre in China, Indonesia and Japan, and their literature, religion or folklore. 

As far as an animation industry’s economy is concerned, from 1960s, many Asia countries, for example, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and so on, have involved in an animation industry in America, Canada and West Europe. It leads to economic boosts in the Asia countries. It is the fact that Asia countries produce almost 90% of all television animation in the USA.

The most dominant area of foreign animation in Asia is children’s television. For example, about two third of recent Beijing’s TV animation is imported. In the late 1990, the influence of Western animation market was expanded to Southeast Asia, Australasia and India. As a result, animation training programs were introduced in tertiary institution in Singapore to attract foreign computer animation companies. Hong Kong Disneyland theme park also shows the popularity of animation in Asia.

In addition to the economic aspect of animation industry, it is also related to political purposes to some Asian countries such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines. Lastly, animation and other types of media influenced on one another in Asia. For example, manga and anime in Japan, live action movies and TV drama serials in both Hong Kong and Taiwan, anime theme songs in Hong Kong, and cartoon characters were used in the screen in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and India. 

Reference

Lent, J. (2000). Animation in Asia: appropriation, reinterpretation, and adoption or adaptation. Retrieved 21 June, 2006, from AnimeResearch.com

Week 1 Farish

According to the second Farr extract (p.50-59), how did Hergé research China for The Blue Lotus?

At first he was about to research it through newspaper extracts but when a priest wrote to him urging to avoid clichés of the Chinese, Herge decided to do his research properly. Following with the advice the priest introduced him to Chang Cheong a sculpting student whom was the same age as Herge, they instantly took a liking of each other. Through Chang, Herge got a true taste of China and was so fascinated by it he even went as far as to learn about the Chinese art. Chang’s meeting was so important to expel all the stereotypes of the Chinese that Herge decided to make Chang a character in Tintin as a special friend to the main character. Herge went as far as to expose through the scene where Tintin meets Chang, not only the stereotypes of Chinese beliefs of Western people but also the Western beliefs of the Chinese people.

Farr, Michael. (1991). The Blue Lotus. In Tintin: the complete companion (pp.50-59). London: John Murray.